AdBlue in the Diesel Tank in Robertsbridge, and What to Do Next
What to do about AdBlue in a diesel tank comes down to one thing more than any other: if your engine has been run since it got in. Anywhere your vehicle stands — Silver Hill, Robertsbridge — never run an engine that hasn't run yet. Call 0333 366 0103 with the ignition and motor both off. In Robertsbridge, that is generally emptied and flushed on the spot. Already run? Stop when safe, then turn it off. Step one remains unchanged, even if the job grows.
Match your case to one of the list below, anywhere across East Sussex you are.
At the pump around Robertsbridge: AdBlue in a diesel
The cap you opened was the wrong one — and you just spot it as you are stood at the pump, bottle or nozzle in your hand. It could be the Shell, or perhaps the BP, or a different station in Robertsbridge.
Put simply: no better place to be to spot it. No pump has drawn it in, and so the AdBlue stays only in that tank.
Freeing the petrol pump is no reason to run it — so do not get back in. A few jobs: a shove into a space with the staff assisting, the bottle saved, and a call to us from where you stand. If it cannot be moved, it can be cleared at the petrol pump: the equipment is explosion-proof and safe on a working forecourt.
At home around Robertsbridge with AdBlue in the diesel tank
For days the dash had been warning you. Only at the recycling bin, the empty bottle in hand, did you look back at the cap you'd used on the driveway. Homes just off Station Road are caught out as much as anywhere else.
Put simply: if the car has not been driven since, it is almost equal to finding out at the pump. AdBlue does not mix with diesel; it sinks to the bottom of that tank and waits there. Overnight does not change that.
Keep the keys indoors tonight — or someone may drive it off first thing — then call us. Our engineers drain the vehicle on your driveway, whether that's around Robertsbridge or out in Northbridge Street. Night-time drains outside a house are fine: the pumps are low-noise.
Drove off with AdBlue in a diesel in Robertsbridge?
Topped up, drove away, and before long your engine was running roughly, blowing smoke, down on power, or lighting up your dash. Maybe heading for Brighton and Hove, under 50 miles away, or just along High Street.
What it means: your fuel system has drawn the AdBlue in. Past your filter, through the lines, and — the more the distance — deeper into the high-pressure pump and every injector. Every restart, like each mile, pushes it deeper.
Next: pick a safe place, pull in, and switch your motor off. Services further on are too far: on the M20, under 25 miles out of Robertsbridge, use the first junction. No trial starts: clearing itself isn't something AdBlue does. About how far had it gone? Tell us when you call.
A hire or company car with AdBlue in the wrong tank?
Seven days ago, it was unknown to you. The AdBlue filler is right alongside the diesel filler, which you didn't know, because your own motor either has no AdBlue or keeps it somewhere else. It can happen to anyone, anywhere across East Sussex.
What it means: the same as the scenarios above, depending on whether it has run, with one more step. Any work on your car often needs the owner's go-ahead under hire or fleet agreements.
Next: phone the rental company or your fleet manager first, and then us — settling it before we arrive is faster. If you are stranded in the car park at the nearest station, or by Robertsbridge Mission Room, whilst you wait for an answer, leave your car off.
AdBlue in your diesel tank? Not sure, in Robertsbridge
Occasionally the honest answer is "I think so". Which cap came off, you can't say; meanwhile the bottle weighs lighter than it ought to, and ammonia hangs by your filler. The gates of Salehurst Church of England Primary School in a rush, say, or a friend's driveway over in Johns Cross.
The point: your engine isn't harmed by some AdBlue splashed on the filler. The diesel tank with AdBlue in it is another matter. You cannot tell which by turning the key, and doing so will suck in any AdBlue that is in that tank.
What to do: treat it as if it was put in. Do not start the vehicle. Inspecting a tank that proves free of AdBlue is better than draining one once it has been run — so ring and describe to us what you saw.
The common ground in every Robertsbridge AdBlue drain
Every situation gets the same opening to the work. Filling station, drive, The George Inn's car park or a road by Robertsbridge War Memorial — the van reaches the vehicle, and three questions come next: which fluid, which quantity, and whether it has run. Answers set the work; the quote comes by phone while no one has left yet.
A thorough flush comes after this drain. With petrol it's standard; with AdBlue it's essential, since crystals build up and some metals are attacked, and neither rinses away unaided. Then comes your filter — flushed, or swapped when needed — then clean diesel, and a test of the car. Not started? In that case about half an hour on site is most jobs.
Firing it up comes last. We make sure it runs smoothly on new diesel before we leave. Permanent damage is very rare when it's caught early, and the whole job is done where the car is. You pay on the day, with nothing upfront, and get a VAT invoice and an engineer report for your insurer. Plenty of insurance policies cover misfuelling, and so check yours as we head over.
About Robertsbridge itself
Robertsbridge is a village in East Sussex, situated on the River Rother at an elevation of 17 metres, and is characterized by its terraced housing. Robertsbridge lies near the villages of Salehurst and Northbridge Street, and is within commuting distance of Brighton and Hove. Robertsbridge has a population of approximately 846 residents and is located in a rural setting. Robertsbridge is also close to Willards Hill and benefits from its scenic riverside location.
Robertsbridge and East Sussex: AdBlue drains across the area
Robertsbridge is a village, and the same teams that cover it work the places near it too, Salehurst and Willards Hill among them, across the TN postcode area. Fastest of all: a TN32 5 postcode for your location.
Whether the car is on a lay-by on the way to Robertsbridge United FC or in a car park in the middle of Robertsbridge, it doesn't need to shift. We drain it where it sits. If you are somewhere hard to describe, near Robertsbridge Village Hall or close to a border, ring and ask rather than assuming.
In one line: your scenario
Still unrun? Keep the car off and phone. Run already? Pull over, turn off, ring. Petrol in Diesel handles the rest whichever it is, across Robertsbridge and East Sussex, on 0333 366 0103.